Dallas Cowboys Blog

Garrett says NFL rules prohibit Dez Bryant from participating in team meetings. But is that really true?

Dez Bryant’s season is over and he will soon begin rehabilitating the fractured right fibula he suffered in the Cowboys’ 38-35 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. But in the interim period head coach Jason Garrett wants the wide receiver to stay involved. That, however, could be difficult because Garrett said league rules stipulate that a player on injured reserve “cannot attend [team] meetings.”

“We obviously follow those,” he added. “The biggest thing, in general, is that we want them engaged with our football team within the confine of the rules.”

“While on IR a player will continue to receive his salary and medical care and is permitted to attend meetings, but he is prohibited from practicing and playing in games for his club for the remainder of the season,” it states.

This issue came up last month when Tennessee quarterback Vince Young was placed on injured reserve. At the time, a carefully-worded news release produced by the Titans said, “Players that are on injured reserve are not required to attend team meetings.”

But it never says that they can’t. So, can Bryant actually attend these classroom sessions and expand his knowledge of the playbook? Garrett’s says no, but his interpretation doesn’t seem to jibe with the NFLPA’s.